“Embrace Your Crosses”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
August 24-25, 2019
Scripture: Luke 13:22-30
We all want to go to heaven…that’s why you’re here. So, how do we get there? You must first do two things:
1) die – we’ve got this one covered; and
2) die in a state of grace.
That last one is the tricky part. Heaven is for people who love God. To get to heaven, you must keep God’s Commandments. By the way, there are more than ten….those are just a pop quiz. It’s in scripture…in the black and white part…you can read it.
How can you tell if someone may be holy? There are both external and internal signs. External signs include participating in the Mass. Well, I go to the hospital a lot, but that doesn’t make me a doctor. A better sign is that you will see God in the fruits of their labor. Internal signs include assenting to the will of others and denying ourselves. We must love God more than ourselves and practice self-mortification by losing our egos and embracing our crosses. This is a tough one, because we are not perfect. However, we must keep striving for a transformation of the heart. Doing so will help us and others get to heaven.
So, how many people will get in to heaven? A lot. And, once we get there, we will have three surprises waiting for us:
1) We are there;
2) Who is there; and
3) Who is not there
Priests take three vows: Obedience, Chastity, and Poverty. Obedience is mandated by the 3rd and 4th Commandments. While I have chastity and poverty nailed, obedience has been the toughest one for me. You would think after all the time I spent in the Army and 35 years as a priest that obedience would be the easiest vow for me to keep.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you lose the ego and practice self-mortification? Will you embrace your crosses and lift them up to God?
Father’s Afterthoughts…
Life is tough…it’s tougher when you’re stupid.